Shows
Working ChangeGrief and Loss part part 2Marla and Nate complete their discussion about grief and loss.
2025-07-1631 minWorking ChangeGrief and Loss part 1Marla and Nate discuss concepts and challenges related to grief and loss. Marla shares about her work with people struggling to manage life following a difficult loss and experiencing intense grief.
2025-07-0128 min
The Virtual CouchFrom Self-Judgment to Self-Compassion: A Guide to Emotional Resilience w/Nate and Marla ChristensenTony welcomes guests Nate and Marla Christensen to discuss the concept of self-compassion. Nate is an ALPC, and Marla is an ALPC and AMFT. They delve into the groundbreaking research of Kristen Neff, who has spent 20 years studying the benefits of self-compassion, including its effects on PTSD, anxiety, depression, and overall mental health. The episode explores the three main components of self-compassion—mindfulness, self-kindness, and common humanity—and addresses common misconceptions such as self-compassion being viewed as weakness, self-indulgence, or selfishness. They share personal insights and clinical experiences, making a compelling case for incorporating self-compassion into daily life and ther...
2024-11-1452 minWorking ChangeMastering self-compassionMarla and Nate discuss the value of self-compassion. What it is and isn't. Why it matters and how to improve our practice of it. Link to the article discussed below...https://self-compassion.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/SCtheoryarticle.pdf
2024-10-2828 minWorking ChangeExploring pity, sympathy, empathy, and compassion.Marla and Nate discuss the differences between these concepts. They look at recent research and what the benefits to possibly changing our approach may be.
2024-08-1928 minLeading Saints PodcastWhat If We’re All Addicts? | An Interview with Nate & Marla ChristensenMarla and Nate Christensen are an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and Associate Professional Clinical Counselor, respectively, working under the supervision of Tony Overbay, LMFT. They work in a private practice setting in Rocklin, California, and share various mental health topics on their podcast "Working Change". Marla and Nate have been married for five years and have a blended family of seven children ranging in age from 25 to four years old.
Marla has a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University. She often works with couples, individuals, and teens. Her pr...
2024-07-1357 minWorking ChangeThe 4 Psychological NeedsMarla and Nate discuss the 4 psychological needs presented in the book The Child In You by Stefanie Stahl. They hypothesize the original source of the needs and why these 4 are so critical for especially young children.
2024-07-0336 minWorking ChangeIs it you or is it me? Internalizing vs externalizingMarla and Nate discuss what internalizing and externalizing are. They also talk about related psychiatric disorders and how to find more balance when we do too much of one or the other.
2024-05-2830 minWorking ChangeCodependent DynamicsMarla and Nate talk about codependency and how it can show up in relationships.
2024-04-0234 minThe Virtual CouchUnderstanding Grief, Loss, Growth, and Rebuilding w/Marla Christensen, AMFTMarla Christensen, AMFT, APCC, joins Tony on the Virtual Couch to discuss dealing with grief and loss. Marla is a new associate working with Tony. Marla received her master's degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University. She shares her passion for her work in mental health counseling and touches on her own personal experience about shifting from being a stay-at-home mom to a counselor following a divorce. Marla discusses her approach to dealing with grief and loss in clients, which she shares as an inescapable human experience. She elaborates on the stages of grief as proposed by Elizabeth Kubler...
2024-02-2840 minWorking ChangeWhy do we feel anger and what can I do about it?Marla and Nate discuss anger. The reasons we feel it and how we can manage it.
2023-09-1231 min
The Virtual CouchWhether You Can or Can't You Are Correct! Exploring the Expectation Effect w/Nate Christensen APCCHenry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” Tony Overbay, LMFT, welcomes Nate Christensen, APCC, back to the Virtual Couch for his 6th appearance. Tony and Nate discuss David Robson’s book “The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your Word,” https://amzn.to/3vbtTCl
Robson calls our brains “prediction machines” and says, “It turns out our brains constantly anticipate what will happen next, and this script is incredibly powerful. This does not mean, as some self-help exponents suggest, anything bad is the fault of the individual or that we can just ask the univ...
2023-05-0449 minWorking ChangeDoes Honesty really matter?Marla and Nate discuss the Sam Harris book "Lying". Additionally, they talk about some reasons people lie and what reasons that may encourage people to be honest.
2023-02-0627 minThe Virtual CouchWhether You Can or Can't You Are Correct! Exploring the Expectation Effect w/Nate Christensen APCCHenry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” Tony Overbay, LMFT, welcomes Nate Christensen, APCC, back to the Virtual Couch for his 6th appearance. Tony and Nate discuss David Robson’s book “The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your Word,” https://amzn.to/3vbtTCl Robson calls our brains “prediction machines” and says, “It turns out our brains constantly anticipate what will happen next, and this script is incredibly powerful. This does not mean, as some self-help exponents suggest, anything bad is the fault of the individual or...
2022-12-2049 minWorking ChangeThinking about therapy?Marla and Nate discuss why people often seek out therapy. They look at different types of clinicians and how coaching compares to therapy. They discuss some of the limitations of therapy and the general practice of how it works.
2022-10-0329 minThe Virtual CouchWorking the Wellness Model, Raising Your Emotional Baseline and Self Care w/Nate Christensen APCCTony welcomes Nate Christensen, APCC, back to the podcast to discuss self-care. Nate shares "The Wellness Model" and how the acronym "POSIES" touches on several areas of self-care that can be incredibly effective when dealing with emotionally immature or narcissistic people in your life. POSIES addresses the need for self-care in the following areas: Physical, Occupational/Financial, Social, Intellectual, Emotional, and Spiritual. Tony gives the origin story of his "Emotional Baseline Theory," which is the first rule of his 5 rules of interacting with the emotionally immature or narcissistic person or organization in your life. Nate and his wife Marla host...
2022-09-0654 min
Waking Up to NarcissismWorking the Wellness Model, Raising Your Emotional Baseline and Self Care w/Nate Christensen APCCTony welcomes Nate Christensen, APCC, back to the podcast to discuss self-care. Nate shares "The Wellness Model" and how the acronym "POSIES" touches on several areas of self-care that can be incredibly effective when dealing with emotionally immature or narcissistic people in your life. POSIES addresses the need for self-care in the following areas: Physical, Occupational/Financial, Social, Intellectual, Emotional, and Spiritual. Tony gives the origin story of his "Emotional Baseline Theory," which is the first rule of his 5 rules of interacting with the emotionally immature or narcissistic person or organization in your life. Nate and his wife Marla...
2022-09-0653 minWorking ChangeWhat is trust and can I trust again after feeling betrayed?Marla and Nate discuss the human need to trust. Why are people wired to trust and can we improve our ability to trust. They also discuss the components of trust and how we can improve our own trustworthiness so that people close to us will feel more trust towards us.
2022-09-0231 minThe Virtual CouchThe Secret to Emotional Growth and Maturity w/Nate Christensen, APCCTony welcomes Nate Christensen, APCC and host of the podcast "Working Change," with his wife Marla https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/working-change/id1582227016 to the Virtual Couch. Nate shares his 4-step emotional process and explains where we have more of an opportunity to work with our emotions to drive positive change in our lives. They also talk about the role of "gut feeling" and intuition, how sometimes it is essential to lean more into "trusting your gut," and why we must question our intuition on other occasions.
If you are interested in being coached in Tony's upcoming "Magnetic Marriage Pod...
2022-08-1851 minThe Virtual CouchThe Secret to Emotional Growth and Maturity w/Nate Christensen, APCCTony welcomes Nate Christensen, APCC and host of the podcast "Working Change," with his wife Marla https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/working-change/id1582227016 to the Virtual Couch. Nate shares his 4-step emotional process and explains where we have more of an opportunity to work with our emotions to drive positive change in our lives. They also talk about the role of "gut feeling" and intuition, how sometimes it is essential to lean more into "trusting your gut," and why we must question our intuition on other occasions. If you are interested in being c...
2022-08-1751 minWorking ChangeMust we suffer?Marla and Nate discuss the difficulties surrounding human suffering. They talk about the possibility of eliminating some suffering from our lives and how to endure suffering we can't control.
2022-08-1129 minWorking ChangeFriends have benefitsMarla and Nate discuss recent trends in the U.S. for people to have fewer close friends. One study showed 10% of women and 15% of men have zero close friends. They discuss the benefits of close friendships and offer suggestions on how to refill our dwindling friend supply.
2022-07-2929 minWorking ChangeBuilding better relationships through vulnerabilityMarla and Nate discuss vulnerability in relationships and how to use it to improve our connections with others. Marla and Nate offer a definition of vulnerability, a step by step way to improve vulnerability, and the reasons why it can help us develop the skill of receiving love.
2022-07-1429 minWorking ChangePeople are scary...or maybe it's just social anxiety disorderMarla and Nate discuss the symptoms and how to overcome challenges associated with social anxiety disorder. Marla owns the pain of being picked last in high school PE and Nate talks about how first grade experiences led him to question himself to the point he struggled to make friends and believe in himself.
2022-06-0831 minWorking ChangeAre we all a little "addicted" to somethingMarla and Nate discuss the classic definition of addiction and look at less common things associated with addiction that could be classified as unhealthy coping strategies. Overcoming these can help bring more peace and balance into our lives so they talk briefly about simple solutions to beating these behaviors.
2022-05-2027 minWorking ChangeThe fascinating and frustrating ADHD mindMarla and Nate discuss ADHD. What it is, how it looks, and some of the latest research that is helping us understand what is going on. Nate talks about his ADHD diagnosis and things that have helped him find more balance in life.
2022-05-0434 minWorking ChangeWhat is going on with anxiety and what can we do about it?Marla and Nate discuss anxiety, and specifically Generalized Anxiety Disorder. They cover common symptoms, the biological basis of anxiety and what kind of behaviors can help with managing anxiety.
2022-04-2132 minWorking ChangeDepression - Part 2 What can we do to manage our own depression and support people battling depressionMarla and Nate discuss what things we can do to manage depressive symptoms. Nate brings treatment approaches supported by clinical literature and his personal experience with depression. Marla adds information related to supporting people struggling with depression. Feel free to reach out to us at workingchangecoaching@gmail.com with any additional questions.
2022-03-3134 minWorking ChangeWhat is causing depressionMarla and Nate discuss their own bouts with depression. They also talk about what we know about depression and the underlying issues that relate to depressive episodes.
2022-03-1630 minWorking ChangeGetting kids to do the little things - Token economyMarla and Nate discuss their recent success with a token economy Marla created and set up at home.
2022-02-2835 minWorking ChangeAttachment Part 2: Adult attachment stylesMarla and Nate discuss the four common attachment styles in adults: secure, avoidant, anxious, and disorganized. They talk about their experiences with their own attachment styles and how to repair attachment styles that aren't secure.
2022-02-1633 minWorking ChangeAttachment Part 1: ChildrenMarla and Nate discuss attachment theory. They talk about the evolution of the theory, attachment styles, and what parents can do to improve attachment with children.
2022-01-2731 minWorking ChangeGoals - Should I even bother?Hate goals? Nate does. Marla and Nate discuss goals and whether they are even worth making.
2022-01-0426 minWorking Change3 Tips to Improving Communication with KidsMarla takes the lead on this discussion about communication with kids. She brings her wealth of knowledge as a mother of 5 and stepmother to 2. She also discusses tips learned in grad school on how to effectively reach our kids and improve relationships.
2021-12-0728 minWorking ChangeLive a full life with the Wellness Model - Part 3Nate and Marla wrap up the discussion about The Wellness Model by focusing on the emotional and spiritual dimensions. Marla also shares a little about environmental and financial dimensions, which are part of some alternative versions of The Wellness Model.
2021-10-1231 minWorking ChangeLive a full life with the Wellness Model - Part 2In part 2 of the Wellness Model series, Nate and Marla discuss the next 3 dimensions of the wellness model. occupational, intellectual, and social. They cover information found in studies that review how these areas of life impact mental health.
2021-09-2030 minWorking ChangeLive a full life with the Wellness Model - Part 1Nate and Marla discuss The Wellness Model and how to live a more balanced life. Studies show that improving wellness over different dimensions of the model can have a significant impact on overall mental health. Part 1 focuses on why the model is important and delves into the physical component of the model.
2021-09-1335 minWorking ChangeManaging Secondary EmotionsBrief introduction of Nate and Marla Christensen. They then discuss the topic of secondary emotions and how we can learn to manage emotional difficulties in our lives.
2021-08-1926 min